The story in yesterday’s Providence Journal regarding the history of JUMP Bikes in Providence was alarming.

In July of 2019, after the e-bike and e-scooter programs littered our sidewalks and waterways and were used in the commission of crime in our neighborhoods, I introduced a resolution to fully evaluate the program’s operation. The resolution, which was passed by the Council, required that the administration provide a comprehensive findings report of the e-bike and e-scooter pilot programs in the City within 30 days of passage. We have still not received the report.

While I support environmentally-friendly and equitably-accessible modes of transportation, I did not support the administration’s insistence on expanding the program without a thorough analysis of the program and absent any effort to mitigate the nuisances these bikes presented to our neighbors.

We have a duty to our residents to ensure that implementation of any third-party partnership is executed in a way that supports public safety, holds businesses accountable, and makes sense for our City and our taxpayers.

This program did not meet those very basic criteria.

Jo-Ann Ryan, Majority Leader
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 5